Still Alive!

Yes, we're still alive and kicking....someone reminded me to update my blog so here I am. lol

Been keeping pretty busy for a bit now. Lots going on with, schooling, general holiday planning and such. I've also been doing a lot of exercising...finally putting myself first for a change so that I can take better care of my family! =D I need it and it is making a difference in me.

Things are going pretty well with school....as you can imagine, there is always room for improvement. Bubby is doing well in school. =) I do need to pay more attention to spelling and reviewing his phonics more. We try to start each day by reading a chapter from the Bible and then praying. It really sets the tone for the day and the day always seems to go smoother. It's amazing how good things can be when you put God first!

Princess is doing good too! She has learned her ABCs and is so proud....Mommy and Daddy are proud too! =D Now I need to move into the next steps with her....I'm thinking she is going to be an early reader. I haven't been pushing her by any means, but she is way more eager about learning than Bubby ever was. Now that his reading is improving more and more though it encourages him to keep going.

I'm still really liking the BJU. Unless something major happens I will be using this same curriculum for math and English for the foreseeable future. Bubby does well when studying sentence structure, but he despises the actual handwriting....you'd think I was ripping his heart out or something!

Making plans for the Midwest Homeschool Convention coming at the end of March! So excited! I'm already registered and made hotel arrangements. Looking forward to a time of refreshing, learning new ideas and encouragement. =D

I'll try not to wait so long until my next update!

Time Frustrations

Been working on time with Bubs...we were struggling today for sure. It didn't help that we started school late this afternoon. I have some paperwork that had to be completed today so school was delayed big time. After a certain time it seems like he loses all concentration!

I really feel I'm lacking in the preschool department. I need to find ways to have Princess working on learning type crafts and such to help her along, but it seems like I have to focus so much on you know who...Bub! What it comes down to is I need more planning time...perhaps a week at a time. Perhaps I figure it all out by the time they graduate! =O

Seems Like Its Working!

I'm glad we made the switch to BJ English 2! Its just what we both needed. He will need review on certain parts as we continue through, but it helps me to know what we need to work on....and for someone who didn't like English/grammar in school its helping me to correctly teach it and maybe refresh my memory a bit too! LOVING THE BOB JONES AND THE WAY THEY TEACH FOR UNDERSTANDING!!!!!!

Spelling

Today we started back with A Beka spelling. We are actually redoing 1st grade spelling (we didn't finish the whole book to begin with). A Beka spelling is very advanced (in my opinion) and they cram in a lot of words for your student each week. So I'm testing Bub with the words we worked on last year. The ones he has trouble with with make up our new list. I"m keeping the list smaller than they do too. I just don't want to frustrate him like last year. I'll continue on this way until we finish it. I'll update about this strategy as we go.

Teaching for Understanding

I recently switched language curriculums....again. I was using Writing Strands, but was feeling it was just not working for Bubby (or me!) right now. He really needed a curriculum to go into detail about sentence structure. We have since switched to Bob Jones English 2. So far it's going pretty good, but trying to teach a child the difference between a telling sentence and an exclamation can certainly have its challenges!

No I Didn't Forget About My New Blog!

We're still here, but life is happening....refrigerator decided to puke on us yesterday! =O So we are in the process of trying to replace it. I've also picked up a writing job which does make life busier for me, but we need the extra cash it will generate. All in all this makes homeschooling a little more hectic as you can imagine, but we're getting it done...just not taking too much time to blog about it!

Started reading "Charlotte's Web" to the kiddos- they love it..especially Bubby.

More to come....I promise! lol

Welcome!

Hello Everyone! Welcome to our (my children and I...and maybe my hubby too!) blog! We hope you'll join us on our homeschooling journey of making school fun! In the past two years I feel I've managed to squash my son's desire to learn by using a curriculum that frustrated him and me! We had too many days that ended with unhappy tones. I have used A Beka for everything....so after two very long years, I've decided to switch things up in hopes of creating a spark in my son.

This year our curriculum has gone eclectic. Here's what we're using for my son (from now on we'll refer to him as Bubby):

A Beka Phonics (this is not new, but it does work for us)

Bob Jones Math

Writing Strands

Science/History/Social Studies/Geography unit studies

For my daughter (to be referred to as Princess- her choice, lol):

Preschool materials I have on hand

Books and videos

She participates in our unit studies as well

In the days to come I'll be updating on our progress and hope to hear feedback from YOU!